Pure Feeling
by My Dark Fire
Summary: A blind girl from Yukigakure transfers to Konohagakure to become a true ninja and she gets placed in Team Seven, and captures the attention of her new sensei, Hatake Kakashi. KakashixOC Strong T rated
1. Chapter 1

Takahashi Emiko had been born blind.

The Takahashi clan were renowned for being the most skilled ninja in all of Yuki, so you could imagine their horror when Emiko was born with no eyesight. There were a few people who saw no point in having a blind child among them and suggested they killed her, but the clan leader, Takahashi Renji, took pity on her and let her live. She would later find out that he only kept her alive to receive sympathy from the other clans.

Almost everyone in Yukigakure didn't believe that a blind ninja could exist, so when she was in the academy, she had to practice twice as hard and earn higher grades than her classmates. They watched her pathetic efforts with disbelieving eyes and cooed with mock sympathy when she didn't pass the exams. She remembered feeling so much hate for the world then, she added another scar to the many on her wrist she had collected over the years. Emiko would do this every time she failed so she could touch them with her hyper-sensitive fingers and remember what she had done wrong and think of ways she could improve herself.

Emiko tried so hard to become a real ninja, but Yukigakure doesn't accept anything less than perfect, and she was constantly being put down. Her mother suggested that she abandon her dream of becoming a ninja and pay attention to more important things like boys, children, marriage. The ebony-haired girl snarled at this and used it as motivation to work harder. She would not become like her mother: Weak, useless, and only used to breed ninja.

The only other person that believed Emiko would make it was one of her academy teachers, Nakashima Kenta, who encouraged her restlessly to pursue her dream of becoming a ninja, no matter what. She needed his words of encouragement more than she realized. He was her voice of hope, the only light she saw in the darkness.

Emiko's senses were heightened more than a regular shinobi's, so Kenta taught her how to see with her fingers, ears, and nose. He taught her how to judge distance by sound and vibration. She could tell when someone she knew was approaching by the weight they put on their feet. If it was her mother, she would walk with soft, gentle footsteps. If it were Renji, heavy thuds that slightly shook the floor. She could tell right away if it was Kenta because he walked quietly, making a sound that only her ears could pick up.

Eventually Emiko realized Renji would never allow her to become a ninja in her own right, so she, with the help of Kenta, sent out letters to several villages, asking them to consider letting her train under the supervision of a jonin sensei who could put up with a blind student. Most of them came back a week later politely declining Emiko's offer. Except for one. The one she had sent to Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, hadn't returned. Kenta told her they were probably considering taking her in, but it did nothing to raise her spirits. Emiko was going to grow old, wither, and die without fulfilling her dream.

That was when the letter from Konoha returned.

They had accepted her.

Emiko cried with joy when Kenta read the letter to her, repeating the words of approval until they were burned into her mind. She embraced her teacher and cried, _"I-I'm so happy, Kenta-sensei!"_

Kenta returned her embrace, knowing it would be one of their last, and held onto her tight.

_Next time I'll be seeing you as a full-fledged shinobi on the battlefield._


	2. Chapter 2

Emiko and her caretaker, Akari Hana, walked past Konoha's open gates and into the outskirts of the village. Emiko wore a white hooded jacket with fur trimmings over mesh armor, navy blue pants, black high-heel sandals, and her Yuki headband around her neck. Her long dark hair spilled over her shoulders and down her back. She wore the Takahashi medallion around her neck.

"Is it beautiful, Hana?" She asked her caretaker, a lovely young woman with cream-colored hair and amethyst eyes wearing a dark blue jacket with light blue pants and yellow boots. Hana looked at the young Genin with a mixture of pity and sorrow as she whispered, "Yes, Emiko, very beautiful."

They both remained silent as they trekked through the village. Emiko decided to put Kenta-sensei's training to good use and strained her senses. _"Since you cannot use your sight, I want you to see using your ears, your sense of touch, your sense of smell, and the vibrations you can feel in the ground." _From the sound of voices and the numerous vibrations, she could tell that there were twenty to forty people on the streets. She breathed in the different aromas wafting from the food stands that made her mouth water. Emiko couldn't wait until she could explore her new home.

"Ah, here we are," Hana said, slipping her hand under Emiko's elbow and directing her towards a building. When she pushed open the door, Emiko was hit was a blast of cold air and the smell of flowers.

"Hello~!" An elderly woman's voice sang, "Are you two girls our new tenants?"

"Yes, we are," Hana said, speaking for both of them while Emiko explored her new surroundings. "I trust out belongings have already been carried up to our room?"

"Yes, ma'am." The woman said, a bit intimidated by Hana's brisk manner. She then noticed that Emiko was gliding her fingers over a miniature bronze dragon on a side table. "Excuse me, but what is your daughter doing?"

Hana flicked her gaze to Emiko and then back to the manager. "She is not my daughter, I am her caretaker because she is blind." She said coldly, since she knew she was going to be saying those words a lot.

The manager's hands flew to her mouth and she gasped, "Oh my, I had no idea. I'm terribly sorry."

Without responding, Hana approached Emiko and gently grabbed her elbow again. She guided her towards the staircase and helped her up while saying, "Emiko, our apartment is on the third floor, first door on the left."

"Third floor, first door on the left." Emiko repeated, nodding. She shook off Hana's hold and went up the stairs by herself. She took the turn on the third floor and opened the door. It was a simple two-bedroom apartment and very roomy. It had a black wooden floor, a full kitchen, and a balcony that overlooked the whole village. Hana was about to comment on the lovely view they had, but quickly stopped herself. Saying something like that would only earn a nasty insult from Emiko's sharp tongue.

Near the doorway was a tall stack of boxes with names labeled on them. Both took their shares and claimed their bedrooms. Their clothes went in the drawers, their shoe sin their closets, and their toiletries in their separate bathrooms.

Hana poked her head into Emiko's room and asked, "Do you want sushi for dinner tonight?"

Emiko, who had been placing her favorite cat statue on her bedside table, replied, "Yes, with dango, please."

Later, the two women were sitting cross-legged on pillows beside the low table in the living room, eating in silence. Hana sneaked a peek at Emiko and felt another wave of pity. Before she took the job of being Emiko's caretaker when she was seven, she knew how sensitive Emiko was about her blindness. Hana tried her best not to be judgmental, but it was hard. Who had ever heard of a blind ninja before? How could Emiko hope to survive on the battlefield when she couldn't even see who her enemy was? Her ambitions were noble, but she would need to be both cunning and fearless if she were to achieve them.

"Emiko," she said, breaking the silence, "tomorrow you have to meet with the Hokage before you begin your training. Would you like me to walk you down there?"

"No," she said simply.

"Well, alright," Hana said anxiously, "I suppose you'd like to know the name of your new sensei. His name is Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's Copy Ninja."


End file.
